Trump says U.S. behind Japan 100% following N.Korea missile test

KCNA reported that the test of the Pukguksong-2 missile, a new type of strategic weapon said to be capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, was supervised by leader Kim Jong-un.

South Korea's military called it North Korea's "show of force" against the hard-line stance of the administration of US President Donald Trump.

Davis, the spokesman, said the US tracked the flight of the missile launched on Saturday evening, USA time, and assessed that it traveled about 500 kilometers, or about 310 miles, before landing in the Sea of Japan.

Earlier reports had said that North Korea had placed two unidentified missiles on mobile launchers for apparent test-firing.

North Korea has conducted two nuclear tests and several missile-related tests since early past year and was seen by experts and officials to be making progress in its weapons capabilities.

At first the missile was thought to be a modified intermediate-range Musudan, which the North has been testing with little success over the past year.

Experts suggest the tests are programmed for shorter distances to avoid a missile landing on Japan.

Relations have thawed in recent days after Trump reaffirmed Washington's "one-China" policy in what he described as a "very warm" telephone conversation with President Xi Jinping.

The missile flew towards the Sea of Japan, as Japan's President was meeting Donald Trump. According to South Korea's Defense Ministry it flew for 300 miles before dropping into the sea and was launched using a cold-eject system, where the missile is launched with compressed gas.

China and Russian Federation yesterday also condemned the launch for having violated UNSC resolutions, but urged parties to exercise restraint to avoid escalating the situation.

The two leaders appeared at a hastily called joint press conference Saturday night at the president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, with Mr. Abe telling reporters that the launch was "absolutely intolerable" and Mr. Trump saying the US stands behind Japan "100 percent".

"The South Korean government and the global community are working together to take punitive actions appropriate for this launch", acting President Hwang Kyo-ahn said. Another official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, added that the test launch was probably of not an intercontinental ballistic missile.

In claims that have yet to be verified, KCNA said a solid-fuel engine had propelled the missile - an improved version of a submarine-launched ballistic missile that was launched last summer - to an altitude of 550km.

"The United States of America stands behind Japan, its great ally, 100 percent", Trump said in brief remarks.

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